We publish books that matter — narrative and literary nonfiction on important topics, and the best of local, international, and translated fiction.

Ryan O'Connor will be in conversation with Paul Buchanan, of The Blue Nile, for this fantastic event around his incredible debut novel, The Voids.

‘After a couple of weeks, I found myself standing outside the voids in the middle of the night listening for human activity, for any sign of life at all. Voids are flats that have been vacated, that will never be lived in again. But there never were any signs of life. Only the wind whistling through vacant interiors.’

In a condemned tower block in Glasgow, residents slowly trickle away until a young man is left alone with only the angels and devils in his mind for company. Stumbling from one surreal situation to the next, he encounters others on the margins of society, finding friendship and camaraderie wherever it is offered, grappling with who he is and what shape his future might take.

The Voids is an unsparing story of modern-day Britain, told with brilliant flashes of humour and humanity.

Ryan O'Connor received the Scottish Book Trust Next Chapter Award in 2018; later the same year he was Highly Commended in the Bridport Prize short story category. He currently lives in Glasgow with his partner and two children. The Voids is his first novel.

‘Reading The Voids is a sensory experience. Part of me is still in that high rise or watching the sunlight through the fire exit door at The Satellite. It is beautiful and perfect. I want to say this is a book God would like.’

—Paul Buchanan, The Blue Nile

‘In the space of a few pages, I was there, right in the world of The Voids, in its chaos and sadness, its life and humour. Melodrama and sentimentality have no place in Ryan O’Connor’s writing. Instead he gives us warmth and bleakness, humanity and beauty. The “voids” might be empty but this novel is brimming with feeling and perception.’

— Wendy Erskine, author of Sweet Home

Please note that in the event of a change to the schedule, or a cancellation, ticket holders will be refunded no later than 7 days after the event. You will be contacted nearer the time with more information related to current government guidance.

For more information please visit the event website here.